Joint custody would avoid the precariousness of mothers

In the event of separation, only 12% of parental couples choose shared custody in France. However, according to a study shared by INED, this egalitarian mode of care would allow mothers to have easier access to work and gain their economic independence, thus escaping the precariousness that often threatens single-parent families.

Joint custody, a solution to prevent the precariousness of separated mothers

In a study published in INED, researchers Carole Bonnet, Anne Solaz and researcher Bertrand Garbinti show that an alternate foster care system could effectively prevent mothers from being precarious. This childcare system has enabled them to maintain or develop their professional activity and quickly gain their financial autonomy. The study also reveals that the employment rate of women in shared foster care is 20 points higher than that of their single parent counterparts.

The precariousness of single parents, a common phenomenon

Mothers still represent 86% of single parent families. They are twice as affected by unemployment (25% versus 12% of couples) and of those who work, 30% are part-time.

Combining professional life and life as a mother is already a feat when a woman is in a relationship. Contact person for all designated parents, she maintains this time-consuming status once separated. You must therefore continue to be available, without being able to count on the income or the relay race of a spouse. Not only does this voluntary availability bring her nothing, but it costs her dearly: on average, the standard of living of single parents drops by 20% after a separation.

Thanks to the associated free time, shared childcare allows women to maintain, or even develop, their professional activity and maintain their lifestyle. It also allows fathers to invest their paternity and become aware of the problems related to childcare.

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